Philippines: Discussion of Stopping Middle of The Night Assaults in Drug War — Possibility of Police Serving Warrants In Accordance With the Law — Could Save Lives

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa assured that their Internal Affairs Service will investigate the death of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and 14 others and will impose proper punishment if there would be proven violations. File

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa insisted that there was nothing wrong with serving search warrants during the wee hours of the day following the death of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and 14 others.

Dela Rosa explained Monday that they can serve warrants at any time of the day “in order to gain maximum advantage” against the subject of the operation.

“Every time is a legal time to serve search warrant. Walang sinabi doon na kailangan i-serve mo ‘yan during office hours,” the PNP chief said in a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The bloody raid is comparable to what happened to Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. who was killed by CIDG operatives inside the Baybay sub-provincial jail in Leyte last year, also during the wee hours of the day. Operatives argued they were to serve a search warrant for alleged illegal drugs inside the mayor’s cell.

Warrants to be served at day time

Sen. Francis Escudero, meanwhile, asserted that search warrants should be served during the day time.

“Under the rules of court, under the police manual of the PNP itself, as a general rule, search warrants should be served during day time unless the court or the judge directs that it can be served during the daytime or nighttime,” Escudero explained in his interview on ANC Headstart.

“But it is always subject to reasonableness,” he added.

Escudero, who is also a lawyer, cited Article 3 Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution.

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized,” the law read.

While the operation raised questions, the nation’s top cop assured the public that their Internal Affairs Service would investigate and impose proper punishment if proven violations were found.

Photos obtained by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism show the body of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. lying flat on his back with his eyes half-open, and both of his hands empty. He was killed while in police custody during a “jail house shoot out” with police. All the police involved were exonerated and returned to duty. Image obtained by PCIJ/Nancy Carvajal

Discarded — The body of a dead Filipino girl — killed in President Duterte’s war on drugs — looks like it has been put out with the trash….. Presidential spokeman Abella said the war on drugs is for the next generation of Filipinos.

Philippines: Human Rights Watch director Phelim Kine also said the numbers of fatalities in the drug war launched by President Rodrigo Duterte when he assumed office on June 30, 2016, are “appalling but predictable” since he (Duterte) vowed to “forget the laws on human rights.”

Davao City’s Ronald dela Rosa has been appointed to become the next chief of the Philippine National Police to lead President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s planned crackdown on illegal drugs. Facebook/Dela Rosa